Silverware holder



March 29, 1960 R. J. BUGAY sILvERwARE HOLDER Filed Oct. 21, 1957 I Ira/em Eudo/z ugaq 2,930,558 SILVERWARE HLDER Rudolph J. Bugay, Chicago, Ill. Application ctoher 21, 1957, Serial No. 691,387 4 Claims. (Cl. 248-316) This invention relates to a silverware holder.

In a home, silverware after being washed is ordinarily towel-dried and is then placed in a dra-wer that may or may not be compartmented so as to separate the knives and forks, etc. Though this practice is almost universally followed, it is at best inconvenient and time-consuming in that each individual piece must be separately handled. In addition, however, this procedure is not sanitary, and has the further disadvantage that the same individual pieces are used over and over again while others remain undisturbed at the bottom of the drawer.-

Thus, those pieces which are used repeatedly become worn especially if they are plated, and must be discarded before the others of the set have received any substantial wear.

An object of the present invention is to provide a silverovercomes these disadvantages. Another object of the invention is in the provision of a that permits the hand-drying of the individual pieces to be omitted, and which stores the silverware at a convenient location and makes Sequential use of all of the pieces possible.

Still another object of the invention is in the provision of a silverware holder that can be selectively supported on a wall bracket and is then rotatable with respect thereto, or on a table or other support. Yet another obje'ct is that of providing a silverware holder adapted to receive knives, forks and spoons, and to mantain the same in segregated relation for subsequent selection and use.

Yet a further object is to provide a holder of the character described, which is adapted to receive silverware when wet and permits sanitary air-drying thereof, and which is rotatable so that the individual compartments can be moved into a convenient position for removal and insertion of the silverware units. Additional objects and advantages of the invention will 'become apparent as the specification develops.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in wl1ich Figure 1 is a side view in elevation of the slverware holder and wall bracket therefor; Fgure 2 is a top plan view of the holder; Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the holder;'Figure 4 is a perspective of the knife spacer comprising a part of the holder; and Figure 5 is a Side view in' elevation, showing the holder positioned on a horizontal support surface.

The silverware holder is denoted in its entirety with the numeral 10, and comprises a body section 11 equipped at its lower end with an outwardly fiared skirt or base stand 12. In the form shown, the body 11 is a generally cylindrical sleeve having a hollow interior, and the skirt or base stand 12 may be integral therewth or a separate member secured thereto by any suitable means, such as swedgng if the unit is made of metah The base stand 12 has a Smoothly curved surface that flares outwardly from the body 11, and along the underside thereof (as is seen best in Figure 3) has a substantially flat rim 13 with the opening through the bearing 23 and with the which enables the holder to be stabilized on a planar' support surface. p

Extending across the interior of the body 11 at the lower end thereof adjacent the base stand 12 is a bottom wall 14 having a plurality of openings formed therein which are designated, respectively, with the numerals 15 through 22, inclusivethere being eight in number inthe specific illustration. The bottom wall 14 may also be formed integrally with the body 11, or may be a separate element welded or otherwise secured thereto. The

bottom wall is provided centrally with a circular opening therethrough, and received within such opening v is a bushing or bearing 23 having a central bore or passage 24 extending therethrough. The bearing is fixed in tion with respect to the wall 14 by a washer or 26 to which it is secured, and which in turn is or otherwise anchored to the bottom wall. 23 extends upwardly within the body Figure 1.

Adjacent the upper end of the cylindrical body 11 and extending transversely thereacross is a knife spacer 27 of generally inverted U-shape, having a plurality of parallel slots 28 extending transversely thereacross adjacent one end thereof end thereof. In the specific illustration shown, there are four slots 28 and likewise four slots 29. The depending walls of the knife spacer 27 are turned laterally, as shown at 30 and 31, so that they extend in opposite directions and define a horizontal plane. The lateral fiange 30 is provided with V-shaped notches 32 and 33 therealong, and the fiange 31 has respectively aligned, generally V-shaped Vnotches 34 and 35 therein.

The knife spacer 27 is mounted within the body =11 posifiange welded The bearing 11, as shown in at the topmost end thereof upon an upper wall 36 that' correspond openings 16 through 18 and 20 through 22 in the bottom wall 14. For identification, such openings in the top wall are designated with the numerals 37 through opposite sides thereof, and are aligned with the slotted portions thereof and accordingly with the enlarged openings 15'and19 in the Vbottom wall. The top wall 36 has asmall central opening 45 therethrough that is aligned opening 45 formed in the knife spacer 27. The bearing 23 and openings in the top wall 36 and knife spacer 27 are adapted to receive the vertically extending stem 46 of a wall bracket 47 equippedat one end with a mounting plate 48 having holes therein to receive screws 49 and 50 which may be employedto secure the bracket The holder 10 is supported on the to a Vertical wall. stem 46 by means located intermediate adapted to abut the under surface of the bottom wall 14, and more particularly the bushing 23 thereof.

Figures 1 and 5 llustrate the holder 10 with silverware therein, comprising two groups 52 and 53 of knives, and two groups 54 and 55 of teaspoons. In Fgure l, only one of the handles of the spoon group 55 is visible,

of a stop or bearing 51, which is Pan-.med Maze. aa, teen.,

and similar slots 29 at the other the ends thereof and which is l the bowl portions thereof being hidden behind the forward group of spoons 54.

The knives are supported by engagement of the handles thereof with the edges defining the respective slots 28 and 29 in the knife spacer, while the blades of the knives depend through the openings 43 and 44 in the uppere wall 36 and openings 15 and 19 in the lower wall 14. The spoons are supported by engagement of the bowls thereof with the edges defining any of the openiugs 37 through 39 and 40 through 42 in which the spoons are positioned. =The handles of the spoons project downwardly through the corresponding openiugs 16 through 18 and 20 through 22 in the lower wall 14. The described condition prevails whenever the holder is mounted upon the bracket or, more particularly, upon the spindle 46 thereof. At such time, the holder is also rotatable about the axis of the spindle so that any one of the silverware groups can be brought into a convenient location.

If they holder 1% is positioned upon a table or other horizontal support surface, the silveiware is pushed upwardly as shown in Figure on contacting such table, and the lower edges thereof engage such surface. The knife spacer, however, continues to maintain the knives in spaced apart, generally parallel relation, and the openings in the top wall 36 maintain the spoons in groups. It will be apparent that other items of silverware, such as knives, forks, tablespoons, soup spoons, utensils, etc., may be received within the holder, and the various openings in the wall 36 are dimensioned to accommod'ate this variety of items. 'It will be noted that the centers of the openings in the plates or walls 14 and 36 lie on radii of the cylindrical body 11; and as a re'- sult, the bowls of the spoons and similar surfaces of other silverware items are oriented in transverse relation with respect to such radii for convenient handling thereof.

The silverwarerholder may be made of metal, plastic or other suitable material, and the Wall bracket 47 may be located wherever desired. Its most convenient location will be adjacent the sink, and preferably above the drain panel thereof. Then, any moisture that drops from the utensils in the air-dry-ing thereof will simply fall. onto the sink where it can do no damage. This will minimze handling of the articles, and if desired they may be rinsed in the holder. An alternative procedure is to place the holder directly onto the drain panel of the sink, or if some other support is employed, a cloth or Sponge placed under the holder will serve to trap the moisture.

While in the foregoing specification an embodiment of the invention has been described in considerable detail for purposes of adequateillustration thereof, it Will be apparent those skilledin the art may make numerous changes in those details without departing from the spirit and principles of the invention.

1'. Ina silverware holder adapted to be selectively supported. upon a counter top or spindle, a hollow body having' a pair. of horizontally extending. spaced wall.

'members' extending transversely thereacross. and rigidly secured thereto, said wall members being respectively provided With a group of openings therethrough, the respective openings in said' wall members beingV in alignment so as to pass the handle portion of spoons andthe' like. therethrough, and the openiugs'V in. the uppermost ofl said wall. members being. dimensioned so as toV pre'- vent passagel therethrough of the bowls of such spoons,

4 i and a knife spacer provided with a plurality of transversely oriented slots each of which is adapted to pass the blade of a knife therethrough, said knife spacer having an inverted, generally U-shaped configuration and being rigidly related with respect to the uppermost of said wall members, each wall member having an additional group of enlarged openings therethrough, aligned with said plurality of slots so as to blades of such knives.

2. The silverware holder of claim 1 in which said holiow body is equipped at the lower end thereof with an ou'twardly fiared base to support the holder upon a freely receive the counter top, and in which said wall members each have a centrally disposed aperture therein for rotatably receiving a spindle therein, the lowermost of said wall members being provided with a bearing to support said silverware holder upon such spindle.

3. The silverware holder of claim 1 in which said first-mentioned openings are oriented along spaced-apart, diametrieally extending lines and have certain edge portions thereof substantially parallel to such lines and other edge portions substantially normal to such lines.

4. In a silverware holder adapted to be selectively supported upon a counter top or rotatably supported on a spindle, a hollow, generally cylindrical body normally positioned with the longitudinal axis thereof disposed along a Vertical line, said body being equipped at the lower end thereof with an outwardly flared, generally cylindrical base, a first wall member extending across said body adjacent the upper end thereof and being rigidly secured thereto, a second wall member extending transverseiy across said body and being rigidly secured thereto a spaced distance each of said wall members having a centrally disposed` aperture therein aligned with each other so as to receive such spindle and said second wall member being provided withV a bearing about the aperture therein for supporting the holder upon such spindle, and a knife spacer of inverted, generally U-shaped configuration extending transversely of said body Vand being supported upon said first wall member and also having a centrally disposed aperture therein for receiving such spindle, said knife spacer having on each side of said aperture therein a plurality of subs'tantially parallel,V chordally extending slots each adapted to receive the blade of a knife, said wall members each having enlarged openings therein respectively aligned 'with said group of slots so as to freely pass therethrough the blade of such'knives, each of said wall members also having a plurality of openings therethrough respectively oriented along radially extending lines and havingV certain edge portions thereof substantially normal to saidlines, said openings in the wall members being in respective Vertical alignment so as to freely pass the handle of a spoorrtherethrough and the openings in said first -Wall member being dimensioned so asv to prevent passage therethrough` of the bowl of such spoon.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES` PATENTS 421,352x

below said first wall member, 

